MS060: James Forrest Howe Papers
Scope and Contents
The James Forrest Howe papers consist of engineering reports from the American Steel and Wire Company, notebooks and papers from his undergraduate days at WPI and articles written by Howe about wire rope.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1908 - 1944
Conditions Governing Access
Permission of archivist
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply
Biographical / Historical
James F. Howe was born in Manchester, N. H., on January 28, 1878. He was educated in the public schools of Manchester and Chicopee, Mass. He graduated from WPI in 1899 with a BS in ME, and in 1906 received the advanced degree of Mechanical Engineer.
After graduation in 1899, he entered the engineering department of the American steel and Wire Company and in a few years became the superintendent of the Wire Rope Dept. In 1906, he became chief engineer and held this position until his retirement' in 1945. He was recognized as the foremost authority on wire rope in the united states . He developed the prestressing of wire ropes for suspension bridges and a method of measuring bridge ropes and cables with great accuracy. Howe died in 1964.
Extent
6 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
The collection was donated to WPI October 10, 1966, by Mrs.Roger Bryant, Howe's daughter. Additional papers were given in August 1991, with some papers from Roger Bryant, Class of 1920. This 1991 acquisition includes photographs of the digging of the Panama Canal and the construction and opening of the Bridge.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for uncoded script
Repository Details
Part of the WPI Manuscript Collections Repository
